Steve was momentarily choked up by this question.
She was about to be sent off for a political marriage, and this girl's focus was actually on age?
"Twenty-two."
Steve replied helplessly.
"Oh, then we really are around the same age."
Muriel nodded thoughtfully.
"I'm only twenty-one, so I'm just a year younger than you."
Her train of thought was terrifyingly eccentric.
"So, where are we going now?"
Muriel asked again.
"To ask your mother."
Steve's gaze became deep.
"To ask her why she specifically named me for the marriage alliance. She seems to know some of my secrets."
Speaking of this, Steve turned to look at Muriel beside him and asked curiously.
"Aren't you worried at all? Your mother is using you as a political bargaining chip for a marriage alliance; don't you have any thoughts about it?"
"Worried? Why should I be worried?"
Muriel had a look of course on her face.
"Whatever Mother does must be right. Since Mother wants me to enter a marriage alliance with you, then I'll just listen to her and do it."
"Compared to that..."
Her gaze instantly became sharp, and it seemed as if a Holy Sword was about to condense in her hand again.
"I only worry about when those evil entities will emerge. I want to master even greater strength to thoroughly purge all evil from the world. Nothing else matters."
"..."
Steve pressed his hand to his forehead.
Fine, this was a hot-blooded chunibyo girl who had been brainwashed by justice. She had no idea what a marriage alliance actually meant. In her mind, marriage was probably no different from forming a party to hunt monsters.
Still, he didn't dislike people who lived purely for their ideals.
Soon, the two figures returned to the solemn and dignified Meeting Hall.
When Mikaela, seated in the main chair, saw the two returning together—especially seeing her daughter following behind Steve with slightly flushed cheeks—the smile at the corner of her mouth deepened.
"Very well."
Mikaela stood up and spoke to the surrounding elders and Randy.
"You all continue discussing the remaining details of the cooperation here. I have some private matters to discuss with these two young people alone."
"Yes, Lord Pope."
The elders bowed respectfully.
Randy glanced at Steve, his eyes conveying a signal of 'take care' and 'by the way, help me abduct that Angel Legion back.' Then, he stopped paying attention and threw himself back into the intense negotiations.
Mikaela slowly walked down from the throne, came before Steve, and made an elegant gesture of invitation.
"Steve, Muriel, come with me."
"There are some things about the past, and also about the future, that it is time for you to know."
Holy Mountain of Light, back mountain forbidden area.
This was a pure land where no outsider had ever set foot.
Surrounding it were towering precipices that reached the clouds, completely isolating this place from the outside world.
The air was filled with an extremely dense concentration of light elements, making every breath feel like it was purifying the soul.
At the end of the area shrouded in holy light, a magnificent white palace stood quietly, exuding an ancient and weathered aura.
"This place..."
Steve controlled his Zombie body, feeling the holy fluctuations around him that made him, an undead, feel slightly uncomfortable. His brow twitched slightly.
He turned to look at Muriel beside him and found that the Saintess was also looking around curiously. Clearly, it was her first time here as well.
"You've never been here?"
Steve asked with some surprise.
"Mm."
Muriel nodded obediently, her heterochromatic eyes full of novelty.
"Mother has warned me since I was a child that the back mountain is a forbidden area and that I must never sneak in alone. I've always been very obedient."
"So mysterious?"
Steve smiled.
"She even has to guard against her own biological daughter?"
"Hehe, it's not about being guarded."
Mikaela, walking at the front, looked back and smiled elegantly.
"Rather, this place is somewhat special. The energy level here is too high. If one's mind is not settled or their strength is insufficient, it's easy to get lost within it. She was too young before, so it truly wasn't suitable for her to come alone."
"But now..."
She gave Steve a meaningful look.
"With you here, it's fine."
Steve was slightly puzzled. What did she mean by 'with me here, it's fine'? Was I supposed to be some kind of lightning rod?
With these questions in mind, the three of them climbed the steps and pushed open the long-sealed palace gates.
Rumble...
The heavy gates slowly opened, and an even more majestic aura rushed toward them.
It wasn't just light and holiness; it was mixed with a power that Steve found extremely unfamiliar. It was the Power of Faith, gathered from the prayers, wishes, and beliefs of countless living beings.
Walking into the great hall, the place was empty and silent.
Steve looked up, and his gaze was instantly drawn to the massive mural on the ceiling.
The mural depicted an angel with peerless beauty. She floated in the vast starry sky, the wings behind her layered and covering the heavens.
"One, two, three..."
Steve counted silently in his heart, his pupils suddenly shrinking.
"Eighteen wings?"
One had to know that in the current hierarchy of the Church of Light, six wings meant Rank 6, and eight wings meant a legendary Rank 7 powerhouse.
And this eighteen-winged one? What level of existence must that be? Rank 9? Or beyond Rank 9?
His gaze moved down and landed on the chest area of the angel in the mural.
It wasn't covered by clothing; instead, it revealed two hearts emitting different glows.
The one on the left was half pitch-black as ink and half brilliant as gold.
The one on the right was a gold so pure it was extreme, as if it contained all the beauty and hope in the world.
"What does this mean?"
Steve asked, pointing at the pure golden heart.
Beside him, Muriel also tilted her head back, her eyes full of wonder.
"That half-black, half-gold one looks just like my angels heart, but what is that golden one?"
"That is our ancestor."
Mikaela walked to their side, gazing up at the mural with deep reverence and remembrance in her eyes.
"The most powerful existence in the history of the Angel Clan, and the only one to reach the eighteen-wing realm: the God of Light and Darkness."
"As you can see, what beats on her left is the angels heart, which grants us the talent for dual cultivation of light and darkness and the ability to switch forms."
"And the one on the right..."
Mikaela's voice became incredibly solemn.
"Is called the heart of faith."
"heart of faith?"
Steve repeated the term.
"Yes."
Mikaela explained.
"The heart of faith is the embryonic form of a Godhead that absorbs the faith of all living beings to strengthen itself. It possesses a supreme rule: as long as faith is not extinguished, the angel does not die."
"As long as there is still one living being in the world who believes in her and calls her name in some corner of this planet, she will never truly perish."
*Hiss.*
Steve sucked in a breath of cold air. This was practically a conceptual-level health-locking cheat.
However... he glanced at the mural and then at the currently declined Angel Clan, thinking to himself.
"If it's so amazing, how did the Angel Clan end up like this? It seems that even this eighteen-winged big shot ultimately met with some kind of accident."
Steve did not dwell on this issue, instead pulling the conversation back on track.
"Your Holiness, this mural is indeed breathtaking, but let's talk about the marriage alliance instead."
Steve looked directly at Mikaela.
"Why does it have to be me? And why does it have to be Muriel? Is the so-called prophecy really that precise?"
"Actually, this matter was also an arrangement left by that ancestor."
Mikaela spoke with a smile, her eyes flashing with wisdom.
"As for how the ancestor deduced today's situation a thousand years ago, and even knew your name, I do not know either."
"You mean, having me and Muriel marry is also a prophecy from this Eighteen-winged Angel?"
Steve was somewhat skeptical.
"Yes."
Mikaela nodded without changing her expression.
Although the ancestor's prophecy only stated that Steve would lead the Angel Clan and didn't explicitly mention marrying the Saintess to him.
But in Mikaela's view, wasn't this a natural progression?
If one wanted a powerhouse to lead a race wholeheartedly, what bond was more stable than becoming family? This was definitely the ancestor's subtext.
Steve's brow furrowed.
"A Visitor from Beyond, cloaked in darkness..."
This clearly referred to his control over Zombies, but what about the System? Had that ancestor accounted for the System's existence?
[The other party only deduced the Host's arrival and the Portal's fluctuations; they did not detect this System's existence.]
In his mind, the System that had been playing dead for a long time finally came back to life.
Hearing the System's assurance, Steve felt a bit more at ease. As long as his trump card wasn't exposed, things were manageable.
Just as he was about to politely decline the marriage, Mikaela seemed to see through his thoughts.
"Lord Steve, there's no need to rush to refuse."
Mikaela raised her hand and pointed toward a wall deep within the hall.
"There, a Secret Realm passed down from ancient times is sealed. After entering, perhaps you will change your mind."
Rumble...
As her voice fell, that seemingly indestructible wall suddenly split open from the middle, revealing a deep and mysterious white passage.
The interior of the passage was not dark; instead, it emitted a soft glow.
"A Secret Realm?"
Steve frowned slightly.
However, he wasn't worried about any traps. After all, this was just the body of a Fifth-Order Zombie. At worst, he could use an ender pearl to escape, or even self-destruct if it came to that; no one could keep him here.
"Fine."
Steve, being bold due to his skill, nodded and stepped toward the passage.
"Muriel, you go in too."
Mikaela said to her daughter beside her.
"Ah? Me too?"
"Go. That is your own opportunity."
"Oh, okay."
Muriel nodded obediently and quickly followed Steve's pace.
Buzz!
Once both their figures had completely entered the passage, the crack behind them slammed shut, sealing off all retreat.
The passage was very spacious, the floor paved with warm white jade.
On both sides were lifelike angel statues.
On the left were Fallen Angels with black wings and demonic swords, their expressions ferocious.
On the right were Holy Angels with golden wings and sacred swords, their expressions solemn.
Two completely different styles appeared exceptionally harmonious here.
"This is..."
After Muriel entered, her face suddenly flushed, and she pressed her hand tightly against her chest.
"What's wrong?"
Steve noticed her abnormality, stopped, and asked.
"I don't know..."
Muriel panted with some difficulty, but her eyes flashed with longing.
"My angels heart is beating wildly. It's guiding me, telling me to go forward. Something ahead is calling to me."
"Calling?"
Steve was thoughtful.
"It seems this instance was specially prepared for you, the Saintess."
"Then let's keep going. Let's see what exactly can cause a resonance with the angels heart."
The two quickened their pace.
Passing through the long corridor of statues, their vision suddenly opened up.
It was a massive circular Altar Square.
And in the very center of the square stood a giant angel statue a hundred meters tall.
No, it wasn't just a statue, because the pressure it emitted had almost condensed into substance.
But that wasn't the point.
Steve's gaze was immediately drawn to the angel's chest.
There, where two hearts should have been.
The left side was empty, clearly missing something.
And the right side... a pure gold heart, as dazzling as a small sun, was beating powerfully.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Every beat was accompanied by a visible wave of golden ripples spreading out.
"That's not a mural..."
Steve's pupils shook slightly.
"That's a real living thing, a true heart of faith."
In front of the giant angel statue, that heart of faith, which was like a sun, seemed to receive some kind of summons, and its originally regular beating suddenly became rapid.
Buzz!
It suddenly broke free from the statue's constraints, turned into a golden stream of light, and rushed straight toward Steve.
"Holy crap!"
Steve was startled and instinctively controlled the Zombie to dodge to the side.
"Why is it coming for me?"
However, that heart of faith was like it had auto-tracking installed, biting down hard on Steve and even predicting his movements.
"Steve, why are you running?"
Beside him, Muriel tilted her head, looking at the wretchedly fleeing Steve in the square with a face full of confusion.
"The heart of faith is about to catch you. Aren't you going to absorb it?"
"..."
Steve almost coughed up a mouthful of old blood.
Sister, is that the point? This is your territory, this thing is clearly your family's supreme treasure. It's chasing me now, and you're actually complaining that I'm running too fast?
"Hurry up and come absorb it!"
Steve shouted as he ran around a pillar.
"Isn't this the thing that's been attracting you?"
"No."
Muriel shook her head and pointed to the back of the statue.
"What's attracting my angels heart isn't this heart of faith. There's something else calling me from behind."
"Ah? There's something else?"
In that split second when Steve was dazed, the heart of faith seized the opportunity.
Whoosh!
With a flash of golden light, it plunged directly into the Zombie's chest.
"Damn it."
Steve's heart sank. If this was a good item, at least his main body should have been the one to absorb it. What was the use of giving it to this Fifth-Order Zombie that could be scrapped at any moment? Wasn't this a waste of a heavenly treasure?
However, in the next second, he felt something was wrong.
After the heart of faith entered the Zombie's body, it didn't stay there. Instead, it seemed to touch some kind of higher-dimensional connection.
Although the Zombie's body began to burst with brilliant golden light, this energy was not intercepted by this body. Instead, it followed that invisible soul channel and instantly crossed the barriers of space and dimension.
Starry Sky Base, Steve's bedroom.
"Ugh."
Steve's main body, sitting on the bed, suddenly clutched his chest.
In an instant, the entire room was illuminated by a sudden burst of sacred golden light, as bright as day.
"Did it really follow me here?"
Steve looked down in shock and saw a brand-new heart slowly taking shape on the right side of his chest.
It was made of pure gold, and every beat was accompanied by the echoes of countless pious prayers in his mind; a warm and majestic power was reshaping the very essence of his life.
"Can this thing really follow the soul to find someone?"
Steve felt that brand-new power, his heart filled with both shock and joy.
According to Mikaela's description, with this heart, as long as faith remained, he would possess a truly immortal body.
This was countless times more heaven-defying than the Totem of Undying in MC.
In the Secret Realm.
At this moment, although the Zombie body was also bathed in golden light, that was a blessing bestowed upon the Zombie by the main body after absorbing the power, much like an awakened ability.
"Eh? Why did the heart of faith disappear?"
Muriel blinked and looked at Steve's Zombie body, then suddenly turned her head toward the distant east—the direction of the Order of Saint George and where the Portal was located.
"Why do I feel like it went over there?"
Steve's heart skipped a beat. Was this woman's intuition too sharp?
"Cough, it's nothing."
Steve quickly changed the subject.
"The heart of faith has already been absorbed by me. You should go see what exactly is attracting you."
"Oh, okay."
Muriel nodded obediently and stopped dwelling on the whereabouts of the heart of faith, walking behind the massive angel statue.
There, surprisingly, was another heart.
However, this heart was not pure gold, but half-gold and half-black, emitting a chaotic and powerful aura—it was an angels heart.
This angels heart seemed to have waited for countless years. Upon sensing Muriel's arrival, it let out a joyful hum and slowly flew up, merging directly into her body.
Boom!
A storm of intertwined black and white instantly erupted with Muriel at its center.
She sat down cross-legged and began to focus entirely on fusing with this legacy.
While Muriel was absorbing the legacy, Steve's main body felt something strange.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The recently merged heart of faith suddenly began to beat violently, as if urgently prompting him for something.
A strong impulse surged into his mind; it was guiding Steve, telling him to go find Muriel.
"Does this heart even have such a side effect?"
Steve suppressed that restlessness and controlled his Zombie body to begin examining the murals on the surrounding walls.
What was recorded here was clearly the secret history of the Angel Clan.
The first mural.
A Fourteen-winged Angel stood in the vast starry sky, surrounded by a dense, hideous, and terrifying army of alien races.
She held a Holy Sword, facing hundreds of millions of powerful enemies alone, her eyes filled with nothing but determination.
At this time, there was only an angels heart in her chest.
The second mural.
The scene shifted; the Fourteen-winged Angel was still on the battlefield, but a blurry figure had appeared beside her.
The person's face could not be seen, and their entire body was shrouded in mist, yet they gave off a feeling of absolute peace.
He was handing a heart emitting pure golden light—the heart of faith—to the angel.
The angel took it with both hands, her expression pious and grateful.
The third mural.
After merging with the heart of faith, the wings on the angel's back instantly surged to become eighteen wings.
Sacred brilliance illuminated the entire star system, and countless alien races were reduced to ashes within the light.
"It seems this was the process of that God of Light and Darkness's breakthrough."
Steve thought to himself.
"Who is that mysterious person who gave her the heart of faith? Is this also part of the prophecy?"
The fourth mural.
The scene became sorrowful; within a ruined hall, countless angels had fallen, with corpses strewn everywhere, until finally only the God of Light and Darkness and that mysterious person remained.
The fifth mural.
The God-King of Light and Darkness seemed to have made a decision; she personally removed the angels heart and the heart of faith from her body and sealed them separately.
This explained why she died; having lost the foundation of immortality that was the heart of faith, combined with the removal of her cores, even an Eighteen-winged powerhouse could not escape falling.
The final mural.
The God of Light and Darkness stood alone in the center of the empty hall. Although no one was around her, a very gentle smile graced her face, as if she were looking at someone important across time and space.
Below the mural, two lines of words were carved, vigorous and powerful, exuding an endless divine charm.
"With light in the heart, the long sword breaks the dawn to slay evil."
"The holy radiance remains forever; undying faith illuminates the world."
Just then, the energy storm behind him gradually subsided.
Steve turned around and found that Muriel had already stood up. At this moment, her temperament had undergone an earth-shaking change.
Within her originally simple and cute aura, there was now a hint of sacred and inviolable majesty.
The most eye-catching feature was the wings slowly unfurling behind her.
The original six wings had disappeared, replaced by eight broad and magnificent wings.
The four wings on the left were as black as ink, while the four on the right were as white as snow; black and white intertwined, flapping gently in the air and emitting a suffocating Rank 7 pressure.
"How is it?"
Steve asked.
"Mm, I've become very powerful."
Muriel felt the surging power within her body, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.
"And it seems I've broken through to Rank 7."
"Very impressive."
Steve praised her sincerely and then said,
"Then let's head out. There shouldn't be anything left here."
Having said that, he turned around, prepared to leave.
"Steve, wait."
Muriel's voice came from behind him.
Steve stopped and turned around in confusion.
"What's wrong?"
Muriel stared at him fixedly, her heterochromatic eyes shimmering with an unprecedented light.
"I... want to go find you."
"Find me?" Steve was stunned. "Why?"
"I want to go see your heart."
Muriel's voice was calm.
"..."
The corner of Steve's mouth twitched.
What was the situation?
This simple-minded Saintess, after absorbing an angels heart, had suddenly unlocked a flirting skill tree? She even wanted to see my heart?
"I don't know why."
Muriel clutched her chest, where two hearts were beating powerfully.
"After absorbing the angels heart, I have a strong impulse to find you, to see your heart of faith."
Hearing this, Steve fell silent.
It was true.
At this very moment, the heart of faith within his main body was also beating wildly. The feeling was like two magnets attracting each other, or like two long-lost soulmates longing for a reunion.
"Could this be what Mikaela meant when she said that after entering, I might change my mind?"
Steve smiled bitterly in his heart.
This physical resonance at the heart level was practically a forced red string of fate.
Moreover, looking at Muriel now, he actually felt a strange sense of familiarity and closeness, as if the two of them had known each other for thousands of years.
"Alright."
As if possessed, Steve nodded.
"I'll wait for you over there."
_______________
Noticed a name change? It was intentional.